Education for All Conference 2012

Please choose one of the following practical breakout sessions from each section when booking your place

Breakout 1

Techniques to train others – secondary schools: all staff in secondary schools can play a role in preventing and responding to homophobic bullying yet nine in ten teachers say they have never received any training. This session will equip you with techniques and materials to train your colleagues and enable you to work together to end homophobia.

Getting started in primary schools: celebrating and talking about different families should be part of every child’s primary school experience – and it can be easy to do. Work with primary school teachers to develop creative lesson plans and classrooms which will make sure all children feel included.

Facing change in local authorities: in times of change, the role of the local authority is just as important as ever. Find out what you can do to make sure you’re working effectively with local schools and other key partners to prevent and tackle homophobic bullying in your local schools.

The physical and mental health of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people: LGB young people have unique health needs, including disturbing levels of poor mental health that are often misunderstood or neglected by health and social care professionals. This session will detail the health needs of LGB young people to enable school nurses, Child and Adolescent Mental Health services, and Personal, Social and Health Education teachers to understand those needs.

The importance of role models: role models are vitally important to our sense of self. Gay and heterosexual adults can all be role models to young people. Find out how you can play a personal role in the education sector, for example as a governor, support young people with their campaigns, or demonstrate to young people in general that homophobia isn’t part of an adult world.

Breakout 2

Techniques to train others – primary schools: all staff in primary schools can play a role in preventing homophobic language and talking about different families yet nine in ten teachers say they have never received any training. This session will equip you with techniques and materials to train your colleagues and enable you to work together to end homophobia.

Student voice: working with student councils and setting up peer to peer mentoring are ideal ways to involve young people in your work to challenge homophobic bullying. Hear from secondary school students about how they’ve brought about positive change in their schools.

Getting business on board: financing education is big business for schools and potential investors. Hear from local schools about how they’ve teamed up with local businesses to get the best out of their work to tackle homophobic bullying.

Steps to prevent poor mental health: everyone working with lesbian, gay and bisexual young people has a role to play in improving their mental health and wellbeing. This session will give an overview of how the internet can be used safely by young people to access support and reduce isolation, of the support offered by local services for young people and, how schools can promote positive mental health for gay students. This session would be ideal for anyone working directly with young people including health professionals, school staff and those involved in the delivery of youth services.

Taking the initiative: Stonewall Education Champions have been leading the way in finding creative ways to prevent and tackle homophobic bullying in their local schools. Attend this breakout session and be inspired by local authorities’ work with the media and local groups to make schools safer for all children and young people.

Please note that breakout session options will be allocated on a first come first served basis. While we try to accommodate delegates' first options, there is no guarantee that we will be able to meet all requests. Programme subject to change.